NOLANVILLE - The public hearing about the city's proposed budget brought only one comment before the council Thursday night.

One resident questioned why the city is budgeting for court fines and fees, asking whether it sets a quota for police citations.

Crystal Briggs, city secretary, deferred the question to the city treasurer, who was not present at the time.

The question will be answered by the next meeting, she said.

The proposed 2010-11 fiscal year budget is based on a property tax rate of 44.60 cents per $100 of assessed property value. The proposed property tax rate is a reduction of about 6.17 cents per $100 of assessed property value.

This revenue source will raise an estimated $405,000 for the general fund.

The total revenue for the year is estimated at about $1.16 million, with expenditures estimated at $1.07 million.

Having a small turnout at the public hearing is a good sign, Mayor Charlie Stewart Sr. said.

"It tells me that the public is pretty well satisfied with the budget," Stewart said. "If they had any concerns, I would think they would be here."

The budget provides for the city's needs, he added.

"You get a little bit of everything with this budget," Stewart said. "It addresses our departments' needs, and by addressing the departments' needs we are addressing our residents' needs."

The council will have a second public hearing and vote on the budget Sept. 16.

During Thursday's meeting, the council also:

Allowed the city treasurer to open another bank account for the city.

Adopted Atmos Energy Corp.'s new rates, which will increase residential gas rates by about $1.40 per month.

Contact Mason W. Canales at mcanales@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7554. Follow him on Twitter at KDHheights.